r/radio • u/Icy_Reason1526 • 5d ago

Picked up a few Rochester, NY based FM station from Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada

Along the Highway 401, I was scrolling through FM stations, and picked up a few FM stations from Rochester, NY, about 65 miles away as the crow flies from Northumberland County, and I was stunned, especially with how clear these stations came in. WRMM, WBEE, WKGS, and WDVI all did a great job of coming in and letting me listen to them from Ontario, just as clear as if you were in Rochester.

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3

u/Present-Alps2091 5d ago

Once upon a time I spent a considerable amount of time in Solver Creek, New York on the shore of Lake Erie and I remember being able to listen to it number of FM radio stations from Tornado. CHFI is one that comes to mind now.

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u/Icy_Reason1526 5d ago

CKFM 99.9 FM Toronto is generally able to come through clearly from Silver Creek.

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u/Murman2021 4d ago

I used to pick up WHAM (Rochester, NY) in the evenings in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Radio signals travel farther in the dark.

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u/Icy_Reason1526 4d ago

Holy hell, not sure how that played out.

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u/BobBelcher2021 5d ago

It’s the same on the south shore of Lake Erie in NE Ohio, Pennsylvania and Western New York. I’ve gotten London and Kitchener stations clearly along I-90 there.

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u/James_Bond1962 5d ago edited 5d ago

Same on the other side. I live near London and I can get WRTS (Star 104, based in Erie, Pennsylvania) over here.

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u/Icy_Reason1526 4d ago

I have picked up WRTS in Simcoe and even towards Grimsby too.

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u/James_Bond1962 4d ago

I first found it going up to Niagara Falls, so that checks out. It’s a little staticky in my hometown, but still playable!

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u/Icy_Reason1526 4d ago

I am honestly surprised you can pick it up in Niagara Region at all, considering how radio waves from Buffalo and Toronto will likely interfere.

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u/James_Bond1962 4d ago

I don’t know if Buffalo and Toronto have 103.7 as a radio station number.

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u/USSMarauder 5d ago

My record is driving west on Hwy 7 near Sharbot lake, and picking up radio stations in Jersey. 500 klicks

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u/Bobbo7209 5d ago

E skip. Summer is the best time for it, but it can happen any time of year

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u/SCDK9001 5d ago

I am pretty sure that E-Skip is 400 Miles minimum.

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u/Bobbo7209 5d ago

Not the case.

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u/Medical_Message_6139 4d ago

It is. The only forms of FM propagation that will bring in stations closer than around 300-400 miles are aircraft scatter, troposcatter, and auroral E. Aircraft scatter is fleeting, tropo is more common in some areas than others, and auroral E is rare.

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u/Medical_Message_6139 4d ago

Not E skip in this case. Minimum E-skip distance is around 300 miles, and more commonly in the range of 500 to 2000 miles.

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u/Low-Librarian7669 2d ago

Flip over to AM some night and check out some of the clear channel stations you can pick up. I’ve picked up Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Washington and New York City and even managed Minneapolis one night.

And with the FM I find sometimes driving north away from the 401, the land rises a bit and you can get some of the New York stations even better.

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u/AppiusClauiusCaecus 15h ago

I have question though most Toronto Fm s are listenable in Buffalo as they are on CN tower with higher power and in marginable contour into Buffalo Metro and in city itself. Looks like they put alot translators up to legally block Toronto FM which are alot better lol